MP procures 77.74 lakh tons of wheat this season

Bhopal, May 13 (IANS) As the procurement season of wheat comes to an end, Madhya Pradesh has procured 77.74 lakh tonnes of wheat against the expected 80 lakh tonnes.

The wheat procurement began in the state on March 15 at a minimum support price of Rs 2,600 per quintal across its 3475 designated procurement centres.

“As many as 9 lakh farmers were registered for procurement,” Kailash Vijayvargiya, Minister for Urban Development, said on Tuesday, adding, “a total of Rs 18842 crore has been disbursed to farmers against wheat procurement so far.

The remaining amount of Rs 18 crore will also be disbursed soon.”

Earlier, Madhya Pradesh expected to surpass its anticipated wheat procurement target, expecting to secure 85 lakh metric tonnes against the initially projected 80 lakh metric tonnes.

As of last Tuesday, the state has already procured 76 lakh metric tonnes from 8.76 lakh registered farmers, said Kailash Vijayvargia.

The state commenced its wheat procurement drive on March 15, 2025. “Last year, we procured 40 lakh metric tonnes of wheat from 5.85 lakh farmers in Madhya Pradesh,” the minister had said.

Till last week, it was expected that the wheat procurement would surpass the 85 lakh ton mark.

Additionally, the minister announced that Rs 16,472 crore has been disbursed to farmers so far in payment for their produce till last week.

To streamline operations, the state government registered farmers via SMS notifications and provided the option to enrol from home through a dedicated web or mobile application.

Farmers could also register at facility centres located within Gram Panchayats, Janpad Panchayats, and Tehsil offices.

The Central government has also revised the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat, increasing it by Rs 150 per quintal for the Rabi marketing season of 2025-26, bringing it to Rs 2,425 per quintal. However, Madhya Pradesh will offer an elevated procurement price of Rs 2,600 per quintal, which includes an additional financial assistance of Rs 175 per quintal.

Madhya Pradesh grows some low-irrigated high-yield varieties like Sharbati and Durum in less rain-fed areas of the Malwa plateau in districts of Sehore, Ujjain, Narmadapuram (erstwhile Hoshangabad), Harda, Raisen and Dewas. Among all Sharbati variety is the most preferred variety as it contains high protein and lustre.

--IANS

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